


Father and Son

by DaniTsubasa



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)
Genre: Affection, Crew as Family, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family, Father-Son Relationship, Friendship, Hugs, Kid Peter Quill, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-16
Updated: 2017-10-16
Packaged: 2019-01-18 08:18:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12384402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaniTsubasa/pseuds/DaniTsubasa
Summary: "He may have been your father, boy, but he wasn't your daddy"Good memories are the ones that hurt the most, but you should still keep them with you, because in the end that is what makes your life worth living. And Peter will be sure to get this message from his dad to his little eight-year-old son.





	Father and Son

**Author's Note:**

> Guardians of the Galaxy and their characters don't belong to me, I leave the credits to Marvel.
> 
> This same story is being posted by me in Nyah Fanfiction.
> 
> *Chapter fanart is available on the pinterest.

                Peter was scared. He was devastated. And the Ravegers outside the door telling him to shut up and sleep wasn't helping. Suddenly the noise stopped completely. The door opened and Yondu Udonta entered. When the door closed, Peter heard the footsteps towards his bed and forced himself to stop crying, breathing heavily. He felt the mattress sink when Yondu sat down and pulled the blanket off him with a kindness that Peter never thought he would have.

                Yondu tried to sound indifferent, but the sight of the eight-year-old boy crying, and emotionally destroyed, hurted the Ravager's Captain. Peter was so frightened he didn't seem to be fully aware of reality.

                “Hey, kid,” he called calmly. “Bad dreams?”

                Peter cried again, refusing to let go of his walkman. The ravager hesitated for a moment. He gently took the earphones from Peter's ears and picked up the walkman, waiting until he released it of his own free will, and left the device at his side.

                “I guess listening to this right now won't do you any good to you.”

                Yondu took the boy in his lap. Peter squirmed and tried to escape, but the ravager held him tight, doing his best not to look rude.

                “I'm not someone to talk about those cute little thoughts out there, but there's one thing you need to know. It may not make sense right now, but good memories are the ones that hurt the most. If you need to cry, do it. You won't feel better by then.”

                Peter gave in, and the tension in his small body was replaced by a compulsive cry. The next day Yondu would threaten to turn him into food if he talked about this moment to someone, but not now. The boy cried for several minutes until he was tired and Yondu found himself stroking his red hair as the boy fell asleep on his shoulder. He settled Peter back on his bed and pulled the blanket over him. His eyes found the music machine and the leader of the Ravagers saw no problem in giving way to curiosity being practically alone. He put the earphones over his ears and he didn't know if it was still the same song Peter was hearing when he arrived, but it made his heart squeeze at the same time making him smile.

 

 _It's not time to make a change_  
Just relax, take it easy  
You're still young, that's your fault  
There's so much you have to know  
Find a girl, settle down  
If you want you can marry  
Look at me, I am old, but I'm happy

                He listened to the whole song until it switched to the next one and he set it on the table. He watched the child's sleeping face, still affected by crying.

                “Your mother will rest in peace, boy. I won’t let him get you. He'll never have you.”

******

                Peter sat on his bed after Yondu's funeral was officially over, finally no longer containing the crying he was holding, despite the moment of happiness Gamora had given him minutes ago. He knew that Rocket was crying too, hidden in his chambers, while Groot was asleep, Drax must be alone in his room, perhaps thinking of his family. Mantis was also in her bedroom, perhaps reflecting on the last few hours. A knock on the door preceded Gamora's silent, cautious entrance. The zehoberi stood in the middle of the bedroom as she saw the redness in the Earthman's clear eyes. Peter stared at the floor and cried, feeling safe in crying in front of her. He hoped she would just say something and sit quietly beside him, he knew how difficult it was for Gamora to show affection, he considered a miracle what had happened minutes ago. But soon the mattress sank to his side and the zehoberi's arms wrapped around him, one hand gently caressing his hair, the other joining with his in his lap.

                The sound of Peter's new music device reached Gamora's ears, even with the headphones connected, she could understand the lyrics. Why was Peter listening to that? It would cut the heart of anyone in the present situation.

                “Peter...,” she called out in a whisper. “This song…”

                “Father and son, from Cat Stevens, a great earth singer,” he answered softly, as well as the sobbing allowed.

                Gamora decided not to say anything, she still couldn't understand why Peter insisted on listening to songs that had caused him pain, since she knew him, but there had to be some reason. She let the Earthman weep as much as necessary.

                When Peter had silenced, Gamora moved the stereo to the bed table and lay beside him. He didn't even look like Peter. He shivered once in a while. His gaze was distant and completely lost, as if he didn't see the environment around him, and sometimes she thought he was going to cry again. She stroked the red hair and cheek of the Star Lord.

                “I'll still be here when you wake up... It's all over, Peter. Tomorrow we'll start all over again. No more doubts and concerns about the past. Let's find better days, Star Lord. No problem closing your eyes and regaining the energy now,” she said softly as the blue eyes closed.”

******

                “Peter...” Kraglin greeted him.

                The Guardians and the Ravagers were landing on Xandar for the time being, putting their lives in order to start over. The new leader of the Ravagers walked up to the Star Lord, placing a note and a box in his hands.

                “I didn't say anything before because... I thought it was too much for you to process and I didn't know if it would work. Before that living planet exploded I met Yondu briefly. He handed me a note and told me to fix something he had found in Ego. I searched a lot in Xandar until I found someone who knew how to fix things from Earth. I don't know if it'll work as before but you can still keep it as a souvenir. He said it was very important.”

                Before Peter could question, Kraglin nodded and walked away to follow a group into town. The other Guardians looked curiously at the package. They sat on some stones in the wooded area where they had landed, and Peter looked at the items he held.

                “Do you want to do it alone?” Drax asked.

                “No, friend.”

                “Why are you scared if you think it's a good thing?” Mantis asked, and suddenly Peter noticed that one of her hands was touching his head. “I’m sorry...,” the new guardian said, pulling away.

                Peter smiled at her and nodded that everything was fine.

                “I am Groot?”

                “I'll open it, Groot.”

                The Guardian's leader looked at Rocket. He seemed to want to speak, but he was silent, a remarkable pain catching his eyes. Peter didn't know what had happened while he tried to save himself from Ego, but Rocket and Yondu must have talked about something important, something that made Rocket good.

                “We're here with you,” Gamora took his hand and Peter squeezed it back, stroking hers with his thumb.

                After a few more silent minutes, he opened the note.

 

_“Peter, I could threaten to make you dinner now, but I don't have time. I know I didn't create you with the kindness you deserved, and if you're reading this, I'm probably dead. But you'll never know how lucky I've been since I caught you on Earth. I've sent Kraglin to find a way to fix your Walkman, I don't know if it'll work, but I know it's still important to you. If where I go, I find your mother, I'll tell her about the Incredible Star Lord, and how he saved the galaxy twice with his family. I will miss you. I want you to know that good memories are the ones that hurt the most, but you should keep them with you anyway, because they are the ones that will make your life worth living. Have a good life, boy. What makes me prouder than anything to this day is being your dad._

_Yondu Udonta”_

 

                Peter took a deep breath a few times as he finished reading. Gamora saw his eyes watering and he was probably trying not to cry. He lowered the note and stared at some spot on the floor for some time. He put those precious words carefully in the pocket of his red jacket and opened the box Kraglin had given him. His sigh now was of surprise, relief, happiness, and gratitude. His walkman was there, perfectly intact, with the headphones and the Awesome Mix 2 tape. The first tape remained safe in the Millano. Gamora wrapped him around the waist, and he did the same. The Guardians sat closer to him, not bothering to sit on the floor, when Peter gave another long sigh trying to stifle the tightness in his heart. Groot held up his arms and Peter put him on his lap, smiling at the sight of the happy little one looking at the repaired walkman.

******

                “Dad... How soon will it start?”

                “A few minutes, Yondu.”

                Peter watched the boy smile as he listened to his first walkman. He didn't have his grandfather's blood, of course, but his blue eyes always reminded Peter of Yondu. The eight-year-old boy had the mother's green skin and red hair like his father. He hadn't met his grandparents, but he was fascinated by them. Peter had spent countless hours telling him about Meredith and Yondu since he was four. Specifically today, the boy had asked his father to arrange his orange hair in Mohican style, his personal tribute to his grandfather.

                “I am Groot!” The two heard the happy voice of the tree as Groot entered Yondu's bedroom holding Meredith and Kamaria in his arms, and Rocket between them. The twin babies, identical, laughed as they grabbed Rocket's cuddly fur. Yondu laughed.

                “Groot! I'm not a stuffed animal! Peter! My partner is cheating on me because of the daring of your daughters! Is it possible that everyone came out like you in temper?!”

                Peter also laughed this time, and Drax walked through the door also laughing along with Mantis. Gamora came in laughing more discreetly and Groot smiled at her, putting Rock on the floor and the twins in their mother's arms. The couple and the three children were left alone. The two-month-old twins had dark brown hair, light brown eyes, and their skin was much lighter green than Gamora's.

                “They'll start in ten minutes,” the zehoberi said.

                Yondu ran to his mother, kissing her face, and her sisters', then pulled Peter by the hand out of the room.

                “Hey, calm down,” the Star Lord laughed as a smiling Gamora followed behind them.

                Within ten minutes all the Guardians were in the windows of the great Ravagers' ship, along with all of them, watching the stars outside mingle with thousands of colorful fireworks. Drax and Mantis took the twins so that Gamora could get closer to Peter and little Yondu, to which she thanked them with a smile, seeing both lull the children with great happiness. Peter hugged his wife and son and let the song Father and son take the place completely, he took years to be able to hear it without pain, but he never failed to listen to it in the annual homage that was made to Yondu. The Ravagers also seemed to enjoy this. Together they made their salute gestures by putting their fists against the chest.

                “Dad... Why do you always listen to this song if it hurts?”

                “Dear…,” Gamora started looking at her son.

                Peter indicated that everything was fine.

                “Because... Once your grandfather told me that good memories are the ones that hurt the most. Even so we should keep them with us always. Because in the long run they make life worth living.”

                The boy looked around, receiving gentle smiles from his family and the Ravagers, including his leader, Kraglin. He exchanged an immense and sincere smile with his parents. Peter took him in his lap and hugged him along with Gamora, continuing to enjoy the colored lights in the sky.

 

 _It's not time to make a change_  
Just relax, take it easy  
You're still young, that's your fault  
There's so much you have to know  
Find a girl, settle down  
If you want you can marry  
Look at me, I am old, but I'm happy

 _I was once like you are now, and I know that it's not easy_  
To be calm when you've found something going on  
But take your time, think a lot  
Why, think of everything you've got  
For you will still be here tomorrow  
But your dreams may not

 _How can I try to explain_  
When I do he turns away again  
It's always been the same, same old story  
From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen  
Now there's a way and I know that I have to go away  
I know I have to go

 _It's not time to make a change_  
Just sit down, take it slowly  
You're still young, that's your fault  
There's so much you have to go through  
Find a girl, settle down  
If you want, you can marry  
Look at me, I am old, but I'm happy

 _All the times that I cried_  
Keeping all the things I knew inside  
It's hard, but it's harder to ignore it  
If they were right, I'd agree  
But it's them they know not me  
Now there's a way and I know that I have to go away  
I know I have to go.


End file.
